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5 Sex Rumors to Stop Believing

Certain sex myths are so outrageous, you know they’re bogus as soon as they hit your ears. (Does anyone actually believe that two condoms work better than one?) But even as your sexual knowledge expands with age, there’s still the occasional myth you hear at girls' night that definitely keeps you guessing. That is until now. We rounded up the five most commonly spread sex rumors and got the breakdown on how to separate fact from fiction.

There’s No Such Thing as the G-Spot

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While scientific journals go back and forth arguing over the precise location of the G-spot, there is no doubt that there’s an area on the front wall of the vagina that—when stimulated correctly—can produce pleasurable sensations for some women, says Debby Herbenick, Ph.D., a sex researcher at Indiana University. But the largest snag in the search for the elusive G-spot is the notion that it can be found. “The research community knows that the sensations are real, but we cannot pinpoint the exact source of the pleasure,” Herbenick says. But just because the G-spot is not a visible mass you can point to—like an elbow or a breast—certainly doesn’t mean it’s mythological, she adds.

You Can’t Get Pregnant During Your Period

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While the risk is small, it’s still there. “No matter what time of the month it is, getting pregnant is always a possibility if you’re having unprotected sex,” says Emily Morse, dating expert and host of the Sex with Emily radio show. Sperm can stay alive for roughly a week after it enters your body. So if you’re getting busy near the end of your period but then you ovulate shortly after, there’s still a small risk that his swimmers could make it to your egg in time, Morse says.

While squirting is a real phenomenon, the confusion often arises when people start using the term “squirting” interchangeably for female ejaculation, Morse says. Female ejaculate—which is different than the lubrication produced when you’re turned on—is a small amount of whitish fluid that occurs during or just before you climax. As for women who squirt, it’s hard to tell whether they are truly experiencing the projection of female ejaculate or if they’re just peeing a little, Herbenick says. Some women experience a bit of “gushing” during climax, but the reason often boils down to anatomical differences in genital tissue.

Men Are More Visual Than Women When It Comes to Sex

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People often assume visual stimulation goes hand-in-hand with watching porn, but not all stimuli needs to be X-rated. For example, many women prefer to leave the lights on during sex so they can admire their partner’s eyes, lips, and muscles, Herbenick says. Or it can be as simple as using a mirror as a prop to watch you and your partner get busy, she notes. The most important thing to remember: Men and women have difference preferences. “Most of the porn that’s out there is made for men, by men,” Herbenick says. “So just because that certain genre doesn’t cater to a woman’s sexual appetite, doesn’t mean that she won’t use visual aids to get in the mood.”